


Heart Stop

by Lady_of_Lorule



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Broken Bones, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Concussions, Dick Grayson is Robin, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Stitches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21760051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Lorule/pseuds/Lady_of_Lorule
Summary: “Are they hurt? What happened? Where are they?” Wally fired off in rapid succession.Superman pinched the bridge of his nose. “They were… badly hurt. We don’t know all the details yet. They’re being treated in Gotham Central by a team of trusted doctors.”“We’re going,” Kaldur announced....The Dynamic Duo gets seriously injured and Robin's team rushes to check on him.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & The Team (Young Justice), Dick Grayson & Wally West, Justice League & The Team (Young Justice), Kon-El | Conner Kent/M'gann M'orzz
Comments: 6
Kudos: 599





	Heart Stop

“Where’s Robin?” Superboy asked with a confused look as he stepped into the training room.

Everyone else was already assembled in the training room. Artemis just shrugged at his question, but Wally frowned, discreetly slipping out his phone and checking it. Black Canary was standing in the center of the floor. Her look was unreadable, and Conner narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Batman went silent two days ago to the League,” she reported. “We believe Robin is with him. I doubt he will be joining us for training today. Not that he needs extra practice with what we’ll be doing today, anyways.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait!” Wally yelped, skidding to a stop in front of her. “Are you telling me no one has heard from Batman or Robin in _two days_ and the League hasn’t gone to Gotham?!”

Kaldur crossed his arms, silently backing up the speedster. M’gann drifted over to Conner and leaned into him, biting her lip. He felt her mind brush him and he let her in, sensing her worry and fear. He wrapped an arm around her, unable to give any other comfort.

“Wally, it is hardly unusual for either of them to drop off the radar. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that they’ve been doing this longer than any of us.”

“Bullshit! They’re still human, and they’re our friends! What if something’s wrong? Have you even tried contacting them?”

Black Canary hesitated and Wally stumbled back as if struck. “The Watchtower attempted to raise the Batcave, but we received no response. But that doesn’t mean that something is wrong. The League is working on it already. Now, are we ready to begin training?” she said, daring them each to raise the issue again with her eyes.

No one voiced a complaint, but M’gann set up a mind link and they conversed even as Black Canary beat them up one by one.

 _So, no one is buying that, right?_ Artemis asked.

 _She is obviously downplaying the situation,_ Conner growled.

M’gann squeezed his arm. _We don’t know that. Batman and Robin have both done stuff like this before. If the League is working on it, I’m sure everything will be fine._

Sharp worry worked its way through the link like a poison, seeping from Wally. _Guys? Rob hasn’t responded to any of my texts for the last three days._

 _That does not mean anything terrible has happened,_ Kaldur said, attempting to console him.

 _No, you don’t understand. The last time Rob didn’t text me back it was because he was in a full body cast. Usually Agent A will text me back from his phone is Rob isn’t available. But if something happened, Agent A wouldn’t have time for that. I_ really _think something is wrong._

The link went silent. Each of them were locked in their own swirling thoughts about their friend and youngest teammate. Wally was having trouble keeping himself from vibrating, but his edges still blurred. Artemis and Conner both grappled with doubt that Robin could be hurt. He was so tough. But M’gann and Kaldur didn’t seem convinced.

 _We must trust the League to deal with this,_ Kaldur finally said.

 _Why?!_ Artemis demanded. _They haven’t done anything so far! We need to go find them, help them!_

 _Where? Do you know where they are, Artemis?_ M’gann asked, her sadness wafting through the link. _I want to help too, but we don’t even know where to start._

_Gotham, duh. Where else would Batman and Robin be? I happen to be pretty familiar with the streets of Gotham._

_I’m in,_ Conner said, sparking off a whole new round of arguments. Kaldur and M’gann were advocating for trusting in the League and biding their time, while Artemis fought fervently to go save their friend with Conner’s quiet support.

“Okay, that’s enough training for today,” Canary said after beating M’gann for the third time. She sighed. “Everyone, go shower. I promise to let you know if there are any updates from the Bat clan.”

No one was quite pleased with it, but they could tell they weren’t going to get anything better out of her. They all trudged out of the mission room and towards the showers. Artemis and Kaldur were still fighting in their minds, while Wally seemed to have retreated into himself,

“Superman, 01,” the zeta beam announced to the Cave.

They all looked at each other in surprise before rushing back towards the teleporter. Wally left them in his wake, appearing a second later in front of Superman, who was talking to Black Canary. He took in the serious looks on their faces and felt his heart clench painfully.

“What is it? Did you find Robin? Is he okay? Pleasetellmehe’sokayplease—” the speedster begged, hardly aware of what was pouring out of his mouth.

“We need you back on the Watchtower,” Superman told Black Canary, ignoring the teen for a moment.

She nodded. “I’ll meet you up there.” She squeezed his arm and then hurried to the zeta beam teleporters.

“Black Canary, 13,” the computer announced and she disappeared. The team arrived right as she vanished.

“Kal? What’s going on?” Conner asked, a crack of fear in his voice as he saw his older brother standing in front of Wally.

“Where’s Black Canary going? Did you find Batman and Robin?” Artemis demanded, marching forward to stand next to Wally.

Superman looked out of the team and sighed. They all read the tension and fear in his eyes and braced themselves. But knowing would be better than the anguish of uncertainty.

“We did,” he admitted, his voice gruff. It took them a moment to realize it was because he was trying to hold back tears, to stay strong for them. “They’re being taken care of.”

“Are they hurt? What happened? Where are they?” Wally fired off in rapid succession.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “They were… badly hurt. We don’t know all the details yet. They’re being treated in Gotham Central by a team of trusted doctors.”

“We’re going,” Kaldur announced.

Superman shook his head. “No. The doctors need space to work. The League is monitoring the situation. We’ll keep you updated.”

“Take me!” Wally shouted, startling everyone into silence. He took a ragged breath and then looked up at Superman pleadingly. “Take me. Please. He’s my best friend.”

“Kal,” Conner said softly, catching his genetic brother’s eye. “Take Wally. We’ll wait here. I promise.”

He dipped his head. “Fine. Your uncle is already there. Go change into normal clothes.”

Wally disappeared and reappeared in less than ten seconds. His bright yellow uniform had been replaced by jeans and a hoodie. Superman nodded in approval and the two of them stepped into the teleporter.

“Recognized, Superman, 01, Kid Flash, B-03.”

It fired up and the two heroes vanished. The team was left all alone in the massive mountain with the knowledge that their teammate was fighting for his life in a hospital and there was nothing they could do from miles and miles away.

“What do we do now?” M’gann asked.

Kaldur sighed. “We wait. And trust in Robin.”

* * *

“He doesn’t look good,” Wally mumbled.

He had been admitted to a private section of Gotham Central where he’d been greeted by a room full of haggard looking Leaguers. His uncle had hugged him tightly, but Wally had broken away to peer through the large observational window looking into the room where Batman and Robin were laid out on cots, nearly unrecognizable. He couldn’t pull himself away.

“Wally,” Barry said, trying to pull him away, but he didn’t budge.

Batman was lying on his stomach as the doctors pulled shards of metal out of his back. There might have been other injuries, but Wally couldn’t tell what with a simple once over and he cared far more about the slight figure on the other bed. Robin’s shirt was gone, revealing a bloody mess. A large gash had been stitched up on his side while the doctors tended to lesser, though still worryingly large, cuts elsewhere on his torso and arms. Wally nearly gagged as he noticed one arm was at the wrong angle, broken in at least one spot. There was a breathing mask attached to his face and an IV was giving him a blood transfusion.

His stomach revolted again, but Barry whisked him away from the window before he could hurl in front of the League. He wanted to complain, to demand to see Robin, but he reconsidered when he saw the worried look on his uncle’s face.

“What happened?” he managed to ask.

The Flash sighed. He looked tired. “We don’t know. Batman went off the grid two days ago. Then, two bodies were found washed up in Gotham Bay and were rushed to Gotham Central. The League arranged for them to get treated by approved doctors and to have this space before anyone could de-mask them, but things are bad. Wally… Robin started choking on his blood. He might not… he might not make it.”

Barry’s words sunk in slowly, and even then, they didn’t quite compute. That didn’t make sense. Robin would be fine. He always made it out okay.

He didn’t realize he had sunk against the wall until Barry was crouching in front of him, saying something but he couldn’t hear it. Eventually his uncle just sat next to him and pulled him against his side, offering physical comfort. He leaned into it and waited.

* * *

Wally groaned as voices started raising. He must have fallen asleep at some point, but a commotion had woken him up. Barry, still beside him, demanded, “What’s going on?”

“Robin’s heart stopped,” Clark whispered.

His tiredness faded away. He zipped over to the window, his uncle right behind him. As chaotic as it was in the waiting room at Clark’s announcement, it was even more hectic in the operating room. A nurse was performing CPR as another scrambled to prepare a defibrillator.

“Wally, come here, you don’t want to see this—” Barry said, grabbing his nephew’s shoulder and trying to draw him away, but Wally wouldn’t move. 

He was frozen in place as he heard the flat-line from the heart monitor. His eyes were locked on Dick’s frail form, too small for the adult size cot, stripped and covered in blood and mottled bruises, chest still. He felt his own heart going too fast, even for a speedster, as if trying to work for the both of them.

The nurse moved aside as the defibrillators were administered. Dick’s body body flopped around sickeningly and dropped back on the table. The flat-line continued and they all waited, everyone eerily silent but for the steady tone. A single, stuttering beat. Wally couldn’t look away, heart in his throat, then collapsed in relief as Dick’s heart started up again, faint, but steady. The League similarly laughed incredulously or simply dropped into their chairs, the stress taking a toll on them all.

Barry hugged Wally tightly and he relaxed into the embrace. Ten minutes after his heart had picked up again Alfred slipped out of the room. He had been the only one allowed in. Everyone fell silent and turned to him.

“Batman is expected to wake tomorrow, once the drugs wear off,” he reported. “The doctors believe Robin will recover as well, although they do not know when he will awake.”

Cheers rang throughout the room. Wally couldn’t muster the energy to join in. He watched as Clark pulled Alfred aside to talk privately before the butler returned to his family in the other room. Soon after most of the Leaguers left. None seemed particularly pleased about it, but they had other duties they needed to attend to.

“Wally,” Barry said a bit later.

The teen had pulled a chair closer to the window so he could sit without having to look away from Robin. “Yeah, Uncle B?”

“You’ve been here for hours. Why don’t you head to the Cave, update your friends, and get some rest?” he suggested as gently as he could.

To no avail. He shook his head fiercely. “No, no way! I’m staying right here till Rob wakes up!”

“Wally—”

“I’m. Not. Leaving.”

Clark came over and clapped Barry’s shoulder. “I’m not leaving either. I can watch Wally. Go home to Iris. I’ll let you know if there’s any change.”

He looked torn, but another look at his nephew made it clear he wasn’t going to win this fight. “Alright. Try and get some rest, though. And eat.”

Wally nodded, settling back down. His best friend needed him.

* * *

_Conner? You’re glaring again,_ M’gann said in his mind. In the front of the classroom their English teacher prattled on about a poem they were supposed to be dissecting.

_Sorry._

_It’s alright. Just talk to me._

He melted at the tender look she was shooting him. Sometimes he could hardly believe that he deserved to be with someone as nice and caring as her.

_I’m just frustrated. The last we heard from Wally, Robin still hasn’t woken up. I feel so useless sitting here, doing nothing. We still don’t even know what caused this whole mess!_

_That’s true,_ she acknowledged, her tone both soothing and understanding. It set him at ease without making him feel patronized. _But once they wake up we’ll have more answers. Until then, we wait. My uncle even mentioned that if Robin’s situation improves we’ll be allowed to visit like Wally._

 _That...would be nice._ It would give him something to do at least. And to see his friend with his own eyes. Hearing reports from other people wasn’t the same. Even Wally hadn’t wanted to go into detail about how bad it was.

M’gann’s eyes narrowed. _Something else is bothering you. What is it?_

_Its Kal-El. I haven’t heard from him since he called Canary away, and I know how close he is to the two of them. Batman’s like his brother and he thinks of Robin kind of like a nephew. I called Lois. She told me he hasn’t left the hospital since they were brought in. I’m worried about him._

_I’m sure he’s just worried, like all of us._

_I know._ He gave the equivalent of a sigh through the link. _Did Wally seem off to you, too?_

Wally had called the team early in the morning at the cave. They had all stayed the night, waiting for news. Zatanna and Rocket had returned early from a mission to be with them when word got to them about Robin. The speedster had filled them in on the situation briefly before hanging up. Last they heard, he also hadn’t left the hospital since arriving last night.

M’gann frowned. _He looked so tired. I’ve never seen him like that. Poor Wally. It must be really awful for him to see his best friend like that. We all know how close they are._

_I wish we could have gone with him._

_Me too._

“Mr. Kent, Miss Morse, could you please stop ogling each other and pay attention to the lesson?” their teacher snapped.

The whole class tittered with laughter. Conner ground his teeth together and began to rise out of his seat. She grabbed him with her telepathy and forced him to sit down. Now was _not_ the time to be punching teachers. A faint blush covered her cheeks, but it faded as the class resumed its course and people stopped looking at them. She didn’t reopen the mind link.

* * *

“I wish we had something to distract ourselves with,” Artemis moaned, sprawled on the couch with her legs propped up on Zatanna’s lap. “But we can’t even go on a mission with our mission guy down for the count.”

“Artie…,” the sorceress complained.

She tossed her hands up. “What? They said Batman is going to be just fine. It’s Robin that they’re worried about.”

“You could still be a little more sensitive.”

She sighed. “Sorry. I’m just stressed. I didn’t mean to be so rude.”

“It is quite alright. We all feel the same,” Kaldur said in his steadying tone.

Artemis, Zatanna, Rocket, and M’gann were all grouped together on the couch. Their limbs were tangled, but they didn’t seem to mind the uncomfortable positions, instead relishing in the comfort they could offer each other. Kaldur and Conner both stood on opposite sides of the room, remaining mostly quiet, but staying out of solidarity. They’d all gathered at the Cave after school to wait for updates, only nothing was coming in. Wally hadn’t responded to any of their calls or texts.

At first, they’d tried to talk about normal stuff. School and extracurriculars. It had worked for a bit, but then the quiet crept in and they hadn’t been able to shake it off. They all just wanted to be with Robin, and they couldn’t ignore it, but it hurt to talk about.

“Flash, 04,” the computer announced. The team barely had a second to react before the hero was standing in front of them, decked out in his famous red suit.

“Is there news?” Kaldur asked, taking control of the situation.

“Batman woke up,” he announced with a big smile. A simultaneous sigh of relief swept through the room. “He won’t be on active duty for a bit, but the doctors said there shouldn’t be any permanent damage. From what Superman said, he’s already talking.”

“That is wonderful.”

“Has he said what happened yet?” Conner demanded.

Flash’s smile slipped. “Uh, no. Not yet.”

“And… Robin?” M’gann asked, biting her lip.

“No change.”

They all nodded. It wasn’t what they wanted to hear, but it was far from bad news. He was still stable. They really couldn’t ask for anything better at this point.

He brightened back up. “But, Superman did say you guys could come visit for a bit. If you’d like.”

“We would,” Kaldur told him firmly.

“Alright. Since they’re in Gotham Central and we’re trying not to tip off the press to who’s there right now, civilian clothing. Stagger your arrivals. Kal will bring you to the proper room, don’t talk to anyone else.” He sighed. “I have to get back to the Watchtower. We’re a bit short handed at the moment. Check on Wally for me, please?”

“Of course we will,” M’gann assured him. He smiled at her and disappeared. The computer announced his departure a second later.

Artemis sprung up. “Okay, guys. I know the way to the hospital from the zeta tube. It’s only three blocks.”

“You guys go ahead,” Zatanna said when M’gann offered a hand to pull her up.

“Z, are you sure?”

She nodded. “I’m sure. I don’t...I can’t see him like this. Maybe another time.”

Kaldur placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “That is perfectly fine. However, we cannot let you stay here all alone.”

She smiled. “That’s sweet, but I’ll be fine.”

“Nevertheless, I will stay, too.”

“You really don’t have to—”

“As you said, we can see him another time.” Kaldur turned to the others. “Please, go ahead. I know you are eager to see him.”

M’gann nodded. “We’ll update you when we arrive.”

The rest of them fled down the hall, hurrying to change as fast as they could. For M’gann it was as simple as shifting into her human guise, but it took Artemis a bit longer to shimmy out of her suit. Still, they were all stepping through the teleporter and landing in Gotham five minutes later.

Artemis straightened up, in her element. “This way.”

* * *

“Bruce is out again,” Clark reported, rubbing his face as he returned from the operating room. “Thank God. He needs his rest to heal.”

“How is he?” Wally asked, frowning at his coffee. Caffeine worked, but for a very short time. Stupid super-metabolism.

“Stable. They got all the debris out of his back and stitched him up. He was treated for a concussion, but the worst of the effects seem to be gone.” He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. “He’s worried about Dick. He made me repeat everything the doctor’s told him and he tried to stay up to watch over him, but I turned up the drugs in his IV. Was that wrong?”

“No. He needs to rest.”

Wally felt kind of weird comforting Superman. The man usually seemed, well, invincible. He’d never been as close to the Kryptonian as Dick was, but he liked him. Clark always treated him like an equal and had a smile for the team, and he’d really stepped up for Conner, even if it had taken him a while to do so. This vulnerability was disconcerting.

“I wish I could do more,” Clark admitted, his eyes still shut. Wally knew he was talking to him, though, because there was no one else in the room. “I love Dick. I met him when he was eight, before he even became Robin. Bruce and I don’t always get along. We used to have bad fights. I accused him of being uncaring and other stuff because he seemed able to turn off his emotions. Then he took Dick in, and I saw this side of him where he was kind and protective. He was hardly recognizable as the same man. When did you met Dick?”

Wally cleared his throat. “Three years ago. When I became Kid Flash. He was eleven.”

A fond smile mingled with sadness appeared on his face. “Then you missed out. I have never met a child as happy as Dick. He had a smile for everyone, and he was always flipping off things. There was some League resistance to such a young child being in our life, but everyone changed their mind once they met him. He was just so _good._ You couldn’t help but like him, and he seemed to be the balance Bruce needed to not cross the line. I don’t know what Bruce will do...what _I_ will do if he doesn’t pull through.”

Wally’s throat tightened. “He’s going to pull through. He has to.” He ran a trembling hand through his hair. “Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to meet him in a hospital. Do you remember a few years ago, when Two-Face…?”

Clark peeked his eyes open. “Vividly.”

Wally nodded. “Right. That psycho beat him up bad. But Dick made it through. God, he was in a ton of casts for months, but he kept cracking jokes and cheering _me_ up. Watch, once he wakes up, he’ll start trying to make everyone else feel better. He’s such a martyr.”

* * *

“Wally!” M’gann cried, throwing herself on him. He stumbled a bit at her sudden weight. She pulled back and started babbling. “Are you okay? Where’s Robin? Your uncle told us we could come and visit, but we decided to come in groups, so it’s just me and Artemis right now, but Raquel and Conner are on their way.”

“Let him breath, M’gann,” Artemis said as she strolled into the room. Wally saw through her cool nonchalance. She was worried, and nervous.

M’gann released him. “Sorry, sorry!”

“Uh, it’s alright,” he finally managed to say. His tongue felt heavy. He hadn’t talked much in the last two days. “I didn’t know you guys were coming.”

“We texted you,” the archer said.

He blinked. “Oh.”

He’d completely forgotten about his phone. He looked around and spotted it lying on a table, abandoned in the corner. Whoops. That must have freaked his friends out. He’d promised to keep in touch with them.

“It’s alright,” M’gann said quickly. “Where’s Robin?”

“Right through here,” he said, gesturing to a door. He’d just returned from a restroom break, trusting that Superman would stay behind to watch his friend. Artemis moved to enter, but he cut her off. “Uh, just a warning, guys, but Rob isn’t doing well.”

“We know, Kid Dork, that’s why we’re here. Move,” she said, rolling her eyes.

He tried to muster up the words to describe it better, but Artemis shoved past him. M’gann followed her in, shooting an apologetic look at Wally as she did. He sighed and entered behind them, shutting the door and leaning on it.

“Rob’s in the other room. We can’t go in, but you can look through the window,” Wally told them.

Clark turned from the window as they entered. He gave the girls a tired smile. “Hello, M’gann, Artemis.”

“Hey, Superman.”

M’gann flew to his side, peeking through the window. Her hands flew up to her mouth and Clark wrapped a comforting arm around her. She buried into his side. Artemis strode forward and observed Robin with rigid posture. Wally knew she was fighting back a stronger reaction by the tightness of her lips. He came forward, knowing what he’d see but unable to stay away.

Bruce was asleep on his cot, garbed in hospital clothes, covering the worst of the bandages. He was still on his stomach, his back still a ravaged mess. Alfred was inside, but he sat by the other cot, on which a corpse-like Robin lay, only the shallow rise and fall of his chest indicating that there was still life in his battered body. The breathing mask had been replaced by a breathing tube and his arm was splinted and raised. It hurt to look at, but Wally couldn’t seem to stop himself.

“What’s the damage?” Artemis asked, only a faint waver to her voice.

“Severe lacerations to the abdomen and torso, internal bleeding, severe concussion, fractured ankle, and his arm was broken in two spots,” Clark reported, squeezing M’gann as she shuddered. “He was treated for hypothermia upon arrival. They’ve managed to stabilize him, but no one can say when he’ll wake up.”

The _if_ hung unsaid. Artemis turned back to Robin. Wally thought he saw a tear roll down her face, but he didn’t push. She didn’t do well with comfort, at least not from him. Anyways, he didn’t think he was capable of comforting anyone. He felt tired, and scared, and desperate. Maybe he should take his uncle’s advice and go home or to the Cave to get some sleep. It just felt...wrong to leave, when Robin couldn’t.

They all remained together in silence until Raquel and Conner arrived. Raquel joined Artemis. They slipped an arm around each other’s waists and Artemis filled the other girl in. Conner strode straight to M’gann, and Clark easily transferred her over to her boyfriend. The two Kryptonians nodded at each other, having a conversation with their eyes.

“Any clue what caused this yet?” Conner asked once he’d calmed M’gann a bit.

Clark shook his head. “Bruce hasn’t said. He was only up for a bit before we had to drug him to keep from overexerting himself.”

Conner frowned, but didn’t press for more. His icy eyes fixed on Robin with his unique intensity even as his hand gently rubbed M’gann’s back.

Clark sighed. “I’m going on a food run. I’ll be back soon.” He strode across the room, but before he left he looked at the speedster. “Wally. You should call your parents and your uncle.”

“I will,” he said. Clark nodded and left. Wally glanced at his phone, then turned back to Dick.

* * *

“You really need to sleep,” Artemis whispered, sitting on the arm of Wally’s chair.

He raised an eyebrow. “Says the other person still awake.”

“But I’m not the one who’s been awake for two days straight. Don’t deny it, I can tell.”

He shrugged. She was right, he hadn’t slept, at least not for more than an hour or two at a time. He couldn’t bring himself to. He knew it was now sometime after midnight, but he couldn’t close his eyes. M’gann was curled on her boyfriend’s lap, both of them fast asleep, and Raquel was using Superman’s cape as a blanket, sprawled across two chairs. Wally winced just looking at the position she was in. Clark had flown back to Metropolis to visit Lois. Wally knew he’d be back too soon.

“Seriously, though. Rob’s been stable for a bit. You need to let yourself rest, Wally,” Artemis pressed.

He sighed and leaned against her side. “I can’t. He’s still not in the clear. They had to resuscitate him twice, Artie. _Twice._ He lost so much blood, and the concussion, and the hypothermia… I need to be here for him.”

“Wally,” she said and he looked up at her. Her eyes burned into him, pinning him in place. “Dick wouldn’t want you to kill yourself worrying about him.”

“I can’t lose him,” he moaned, dropping his head into his hands. “He’s my best friend. And I’m a scientist. I know the odds of him waking up, and I know the odds of him waking up and not suffering long term damage. I want to turn my brain off.”

She leaned down and wrapped her arms around him. It was a little awkward, but he was beyond caring and he gladly leaned into her touch. His shoulders shook, but no tears came. He had passed the threshold for tears a long time ago.

After holding him for a bit, Artemis drew away and stood. “Okay. You’re going to sleep for at least a few hours, and I’m going to watch Dick, okay? I’ll wake you if _anything_ happens. I promise.”

He went to argue, but then a wave of exhaustion swept over him and he couldn’t even open his mouth. So he nodded and settled back in his chair, closing his eyes. Sleep came quickly, if not restfully.

* * *

“Wally,” Artemis hissed, shaking his shoulder. His eyes flew open and adjusted to the faint light of the room. He must have only been asleep for a few hours. He looked around, checking on Dick, but he didn’t see why she’d woken him. She pointed to the other cot. “Batman just woke up again. Clark went in to talk to him.”

He looked over at the other cot, and sure enough, Bruce was sitting upright. Clark was standing next to his bed and Alfred was sitting by his side. The butler looked both worried and happy to see him alert.

“Do you think he’ll tell Clark what happened?” Wally asked anxiously.

“If the drugs have worn off enough for him to think clearly. God, I hope the League lets us handle this. I’m sick of sitting on my ass.”

He nodded in agreement. Anger coiled in his stomach. He would _gladly_ deal with whoever had done this to his best friend. It would only be fair to inflict the same injuries upon whoever was responsible.

They sat in tense silence for a few minutes as they watched the two heroes converse. Unfortunately, neither of them could hear or read lips. _Dick would be able to,_ he thought despondently, before shoving that thought away and refocusing. After a few minutes, Bruce suddenly moved, tossing his legs over the side of the bed. Clark moved to stop him, but Bruce said something. With a sigh, the Kryptonian helped him stand and walked him over to Dick’s cot, depositing him in the chair Alfred had been occupying earlier.

Bruce reached out and brushed Dick’s bangs off his forehead with an aching gentleness. He observed his ward in silence for a moment, then held his hand, the one not in a cast, and bowed his head. Wally had to look away from the emotional display before he broke down again.

It must have become clear that Bruce wouldn’t be saying anything else, because Clark slipped out of the room a minute later. He looked unsurprised to see Artemis and Wally awake even as their teammates slept on.

“Not yet,” he said without prompting.

They accepted that with only a little disappointment. It was hard to be angry when they’d just witnessed a father mourning for his son.

* * *

“Wally, I admire you wanting to be here for your friend, but you need to go back to school at some point,” Barry said. Wally continued devouring the feast his uncle had brought him. “Your parents are worried, and you can’t do anything here. You need to keep living your life. You know you can be here in minutes if anything happens.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“All your friends went back to school. Don’t you think they’re just as worried? Follow their lead.”

“Look, I can make up all the class work and apologize to my friends when this is over,” Wally said, meeting his uncle’s eyes with an unwavering determination. “But I am not leaving until Dick does.”

Barry sighed and scrubbed his face. He barely knew how to deal with teenagers to start with. He _really_ didn’t know how to deal with super powered teenagers waiting for their best friend to either recover (hopefully) or die.

Clark suddenly stood up, upsetting the chair he was sitting in. The speedsters turned to him with wary expressions when they noticed his gaze was trained on the window.

“Dick’s heart rate just changed,” he said. Wally’s own heart stopped in his chest. “I think… I think he’s waking up.”

And restarted. He zoomed to the window and peered in. Diana, Clark, and Barry all joined him. Inside the room Alfred and Bruce were sitting on either side of Dick. His bruising had started to fade and the stitches on his torso didn’t seem as red and angry anymore. And his pale eyelids were fluttering open, revealing wandering vibrant blue eyes. Everyone was absolutely still as they watched those eyes flick around aimlessly before settling on Bruce’s face.

Wally collapsed against Barry when Dick opened up his mouth and said something that had Bruce’s shoulders shaking with laughter.

The room suddenly became a whirlwind of activity again. The medical staff were called back in and flocked around Dick, cutting off Wally’s view. Bruce stayed right by his side, holding his hand, but Alfred moved to stand behind Bruce to give the staff more room. Wally vaguely became aware of Diana and Clark making calls to people, probably the League and the team, but he didn’t register what they were saying.

A smile stretched across his face even as he was whipped around in the hurricane. Dick was awake, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

“Miss Morse?” the teacher said as she set down the phone. All eyes turned to M’gann. “Please go down to the office and bring all your belongings. You are going home for the day.”

 _Robin,_ she thought as her heart started to race. Then she shoved the thought away, turning her attention to slipping her notebook into her bag and slipping out of the room. Since it was still the middle of the period the hallways were empty. It was kind of eerie. Taking a deep breath to banish any thoughts, she set off towards the office. 

“Megan, do you have all your things?” J’onn asked in his human guise. He was already waiting for her in the office, and Clark was beside him in flannel and glasses.

“Yes, I have everything,” she responded, then felt her uncle’s telepathic touch. She eagerly opened up to him and asked, _What happened? Is Robin okay?_

_Patience, M’gann. We are still waiting for Conner._

She nodded, her anxiety returning. Her uncle squeezed her shoulder gently, but it did little to help. Luckily, Conner, also pulled out of class, stepped in only moments later. His icy eyes flitted from J’onn to Clark to rest on her.

“Good, you’re here. Let’s go,” Clark said in his friendly Midwestern drawl. The two teens left the office without complaint, linking hands. They knew they couldn’t ask their guardians to deliver the news to them inside the school, it was too insecure.

As soon as they were outside Conner turned and crossed his arms. “Is Robin okay?”

A huge grin split across Clark’s face. “He woke up. He was alert, and is suffering from minor memory loss, but there doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage.”

“Memory loss?” M’gann parroted. That sounded pretty bad to her.

“Only of this last week,” her uncle assured her. “He does not seem to remember what caused him to land in the state he is currently in. However, there is a chance the memories will return. The drugs might have been interfering with his recall.”

“Can we see him?”

“Yes. Wallace and Artemis are already there. I believe your other teammates are also on their way to visit. Fair warning, though, he might be asleep again. He needs rest and the drugs keep him pretty loopy,” Clark warned them.

M’gann just beamed, floating off the ground a little. Robin was awake, and nothing could dampen her joy, even if he stayed in a drugged state for a while longer.

“Has Batman told you what happened yet?” Conner asked again.

Clark and J’onn traded a look. It was the Martian who said smoothly, “We can talk about that later. Now, let us return to Gotham so you may see Robin with your own eyes.”

* * *

“You need to shave,” Dick murmured.

A hint of a smile played across Bruce’s lips. “Forgive me if I haven’t been keeping up appearances while my son was in a medically induced coma.”

“Best nap of my life.”

Dick both felt like he was floating and like his body was a million pounds. His drug dosage had been cut back since he woke, to the point where he could stay awake for a few hours at a time, but muscle control was still beyond him. Which was probably a good thing. If the pounding in his head was at all an indication of what the rest of his body felt like, then he probably should be praising whoever invented anesthesia.

Bruce’s smile faded, as if he noticed his son’s attention slipping. Dick blinked and refocused on his face. “Sorry. Got distracted.”

“Its fine. I should probably let you rest anyways.”

“No,” he said quickly, wishing he could reach out to grab Bruce, but his arm felt too heavy. “I don’t want to sleep anymore. I’ve been asleep for three days already.”

“Sleep is good for healing, Dick.”

“I know. Just...a little longer, please? Then I promise I’ll rest.”

Bruce looked worried. But all he did was brush Dick’s bangs back and say, “Fine. Just this once.”

He grinned. He wasn’t sure how well he was controlling his facial muscles though, because it took a considerable effort to do even that small bit.

The door opened and Dick’s eyes slid over, taking a moment to recognize the tall figure as Clark. The Kryptonian stepped hesitantly forward, as if he was afraid to disturb them. Dick’s grin stretched a little further. That was silly. Clark knew that he was basically family. He shouldn’t be worrying about disturbing them.

“Clark,” Bruce greeted.

“Hi.” He leaned his hip against Dick’s cot, smiling down at the young acrobat. “How you feeling, kiddo?”

“Honestly, I don’t have a lot of sensation right now,” he admitted. “You can probably turn the dosage down.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “You are aware that your arm is broken in two spots, you have multiple stab wounds, and a major concussion.”

He rolled his eyes. “I know. Trust me, I still want _some_ drugs. But I hate how tired they make me.”

Bruce stayed silent. He’d learned it was best not to bother fighting with Dick on this particular subject.

“Hey, how about you tell me how I got injured?” the boy suggested, his gaze was sharp.

“You don’t remember anything still?” Clark asked, a worried crease forming between his eyebrows. Bruce stiffened slightly.

He shrugged. “A little. Bits and pieces. I remember an explosion. I remember being in the bay. Then sand. Then waking up here. Even with my detective skills, that’s not a lot to go on. Would you care to fill me in, Bruce?”

“We can discuss this later,” he said evenly. Dick’s mouth tilted into a frown. Bruce turned to Clark. “You had something to tell us. What?”

It was only through his many years working with Batman that he understood that Bruce wasn’t trying to be rude, he was just snapping into business mode. He’d been in that mode a lot since waking up and seeing his son injured. Clark let it slide.

“Robin’s team is all here. They’re waiting in the next room.”

“Shouldn’t they be in school?”

“You think they would’ve been able to pay attention in class once they heard he woke up?”

Bruce exhaled, the closest approximation he had to a huff of laughter. “Fair point.” He turned to his son, face inscrutable. “It’s up to you whether you want to see them or not.”

Dick swallowed. On one hand, he was aching to see his friends. Bruce had told him that they’d been in and out of the hospital for the last few days, checking in on him. It would be great to see them and reassure them that he was okay. On the other hand… he really wasn’t okay. He didn’t have a lot of energy, and seeing them all might be overwhelming.

In the end, he just blurted out his first instinct, which was, “Can you bring them in?”

Bruce stood and nodded. “Of course. I’ll be back soon.”

Dick smiled. He knew that was Bruce-speak for giving them some privacy, while still hovering. Clark and Bruce walked out of the room. There was an unevenness to his father’s step that wasn’t usually there, but he’d officially discharged, with orders to take it easy and let his many stitches heal. Crutches had been recommended and promptly ignored. Dick was mostly jealous that Bruce was wearing real clothes while he was stuck in a hospital gown still.

He twitched his finger, the only thing he could really control, and tilted his bed up more so he would be upright to talk to his friends. He knew that the mirror in front of his bed was really one-way glass and that they had been watching him, probably for a while, but he didn’t want to appear damaged in front of them. He had a reputation to uphold.

The door opened and he barely had time to register that before Wally was right next to him, staring down at him like he was a ghost.

Dick returned the favor. Wally looked bad. There was no polite way to put it. His red hair looked greasy and lank, dark circles hung under his eyes, and his clothes were rumpled. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and when he had, it had been in a chair. Which, now that Dick thought about it, was probably exactly what happened. Bruce had mentioned that Wally had been in the visiting room the most. Dick was willing to bet that meant the whole time.

Shakily, Wally reached out and brushed his fingers across Dick’s bangs, in a pantomime of what Bruce had done. Then his best friend let out a strangled sigh and leaned down, touching their foreheads together. Dick pressed his lips together to keep them from wobbling. Wally’s tenderness was making him all too aware of what had happened to him. How close they had come to losing each other.

“I am so glad you’re not dead,” Wally whispered.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easy,” he whispered back, savoring the touch. Wally drew away as the rest of the team crowded in, but he stayed at Dick’s right, in the same spot Bruce had occupied.

He looked around at them, at their happy, worried, relieved, and upset faces and smiled. “Hey, guys.”

“How are you feeling?” M’gann asked first, sitting next to his legs. Conner laid a hand on her shoulder and she leaned back against his chest. It cheered Dick up to see the natural display of affection between them. Some things are constant, at least.

“Drugged,” he answer truthfully. “I don’t know how long I can stay awake.”

“We don’t mind. We’re just happy to see you up,” Zatanna assured him from the end of his bed.

“But you’re not in pain?” Wally asked, biting his lip worriedly.

“Not right now. Seriously, don’t worry about me. The doctors said I’m healing up fine. No infection, my bruises are already fading, and they were able to reset my arm without needing surgery. I’ll be back on the streets soon enough.”

Strangely, his team didn’t seem as excited about that thought as he was.

Conner frowned. “Superman mentioned you had memory loss.”

“Side effect of the concussion. I’m only missing a few days. I have some vague memories, so the rest might come back, or it might just be gone. It’s too soon to say, but it’s not that big a deal.”

“So you don’t know what happened to you?” Raquel asked with a furrowed brow.

“No. And Bruce won’t tell me.” Annoyance crept into his tone. The team seemed to sympathize, because they nodded along.

“The League's been keeping us mostly in the dark about things too. Sorry.”

His annoyance faded. Wally’s face blurred for a moment as his eyelids drooped. He forced them back open quickly enough, but Wally noticed, having been watching him like a hawk.

“Let’s stop interrogating Robin. Z, Raquel, tell him about the mission you guys were on.”

Robin grinned. Wally was the best best friend ever. He’d easily redirected the conversation to spare him from having to talk anymore. His energy was fading fast, exacerbated by the drugs, but he didn’t want his team to leave yet. Wally had fixed that for him. Raquel launched into a story, with Zatanna chiming in with important details. Dick allowed himself to relax and listen to the cadence of his teammates talking. He would worry about everything else later.

* * *

“Robin’s been discharged from the hospital,” Wally reported, zipping into the Cave’s kitchen, where the rest of the team was already gathered for dinner. “He’s back home now.”

“That’s wonderful!” M’gann cheered, levitating a platter of hamburgers onto the counter. Conner was tossing a salad with his characteristic scowl, which Wally would have found hilarious at another time, but he was consumed by his phone and the concise text messages he’d received from Uncle Barry.

“Should he really be home? I mean, he had internal bleeding not a week ago,” Artemis worried, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

Kaldur had a small smile on his face as he said, “I am sure his father would do nothing that would compromise his recovery. Hopefully, being home among his family will encourage him to rest.”

Wally snorted, seating himself at the island. “I doubt it. Robin just gets even _more_ restless than usual when he’s on bed rest.”

Everyone drifted over towards the smell of M’gann’s cooking, which had drastically improved through frequent practice. Wally found himself stuck between Kaldur and Artemis, but he didn’t reach for the food. He kept checking his phone like a nervous tic. Conner, with his quiet but observant manner, noticed immediately.

“Not hungry?” he asked gruffly.

Wally shoved his phone in his pocket as if hiding drugs from his parents. “What?”

“You’re not eating.”

“Oh. Right.” A breeze mussed Zatanna and Artemis’s hair and then a heaping plate sat before the speedster. He still didn’t touch it.

Zatanna reached across Kaldur to hold Wally’s hand. “Wally. We love you, but you need to eat and you need to sleep. We are _all_ worried about Robin, but we can’t be worrying about you too. And you know if Robin hears you were starving yourself he will blame himself.”

“Damn martyr,” he muttered, then smiled at his teammate. “I know, Z. Thanks.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to go see him for yourself soon and see how he’s doing.”

“Besides, his arm is broken,” M’gann commented, her brow clearing. “How much trouble can he be getting into?”

* * *

“What. Happened?” Bruce growled.

Dick didn’t quite meet his eyes as Alfred finished restitching a relatively shallow cut below his collarbone. His shirt, now covered in blood, laid next to him.

Bruce sighed and knelt when it became clear Dick wasn’t responding. He reached out and touched his son’s knee, then composed himself so his voice was smooth and not rough. “Dick. I’m not mad. Just tell me what happened, chum.”

“Its stupid,” he mumbled.

“I don’t care. I care that I came home to find you bleeding on the ground. What happened?”

The boy sighed and met his eyes at last. “I swear I wasn’t trying to aggravate my wounds. I just wanted to do some light exercises. I was sick of staying in bed, so I went down to the gym. I was trying to be gentle, but I guess I overestimated the stitches.”

Bruce’s hand tightened unconsciously on his son’s knee. Dick looked at him worriedly, but he didn’t notice. He was trying to purge all the fear and anxiety that had flooded through him upon seeing his son injured. _Again._ But now he knew Dick was fine and Alfred had taken care of the stitches, so there was no damage, except maybe a prolonged recovery time.

“I’m sorry,” Dick apologized when the silence stretched out. Alfred snipped off the last of the stitches and began cleaning up his kit.

“Please do try not to tear those stitches again, Master Dick,” the butler said, standing and primly snapping shut the first aid kit. “You would not want to impede your recovery.”

“Thank you.”

Alfred smiled at the boy and left the room.

“I’m not mad, Dick,” Bruce repeated once they were alone. “You just scared me. You only just got discharged, you need a little more time to heal before you jump back into your training.”

“Bruce, you won’t let me train and you won’t let me go to school,” he reminded him. “And I understand why! But I’m _dying_ of boredom. I can only bother Alfred so much before he even he gets annoyed, and you have your company and the League. I need something to _do.”_

He should have seen this coming. Dick had never been able to sit still. Not as a boy, when he’d somersaulted and flipped everywhere he went, turning the Manor into his own circus. Not as a student, where he joined the gymnastics team to have an outlet for his energy and frequently got scolded in class for fidgeting. Not as Robin, where he was constantly moving, hacking, sneaking, and fighting. The one thing Dick couldn’t handle was idleness.

“If I agreed to let you go visit Mount Justice,” Bruce said slowly, watching as his son perked up, “would you promise not to exert yourself until I clear you?”

“Yes! Does that mean I get to run missions?”

“...We’ll see.”

* * *

Bruce followed through on his promise. Robin was allowed to go to Mount Justice and help on the next two team missions through the comms. He was still aching to actually be out there with his team, but with his stitches still in and his arm encased in a cast, there wasn’t a chance in hell of that happening. His friends tried to help with his boredom, but since they were all siding with Batman on the whole “rest, not training” argument, they weren’t helping that much.

“This is so unfair,” Dick moaned, sitting up on Wally’s bed in Mount Justice. The speedster was sitting next to him, their shoulders brushing, as he scrolled through Netflix on the TV on his dresser. “Bruce let you have a mission when your arm was broken.”

“Well, yeah. I’m a speedster. If my legs were broken he would’ve benched me. You’re an acrobat and hacker, Rob. You can’t do your job with only one arm,” Wally said, trying to use logic.

Unfortunately, Robin wasn’t in the mood for logic. “Yes, I can. Batman made me try for a month on how to work with only one arm in the event I was tied up or injured.”

Wally sighed. Damn Bat-training. From what his best friend had told him about it, training with Batman had consisted of learning contingencies and back-up plans for every possible outcome, including a variety of injuries. He should’ve guessed that Dick would consider a broken arm a minor inconvenience that could be worked around.

“You still have stitches.”

Dick huffed. “Alfred said he can take them out tomorrow. Bruce _still_ said I can’t go on any missions.”

“It’s not like you’re being idle. You’ve practically been running the missions.”

“It’s not the same. I want to be there. And it’s not just the team I’m annoyed about.”

Wally tilted his head, looking away from the TV to his friend. “What else is bothering you?”

“Bruce. My memory never came back about how I landed in his mess, and I know that he knows what happened, but he won’t tell me. He hasn’t even written a report about it in the Batcomputer yet because he doesn’t want me to hack into it.” He exhaled sharply. “I think he recruited some League members to help him with whatever’s going on, but I haven’t been able to figure out who. Probably Clark, but I think I saw him talk to Canary the other day, so she might be part of it.”

“Whoa, slow down, buddy,” Wally said, eyes widening throughout Dick’s monologue. “I think you’re jumping to conclusions. Batman is part of the League. Of course he would talk to other members. That doesn’t mean he’s conspiring behind your back or whatever.”

“Yes it does!” he argued, his conviction clear in his tone. “I must have botched the mission and now he’s trying to clean up my mess but he doesn’t trust me to help him with it!”

“ _Dick!_ What the _hell_ are you talking about?!”

The younger teen fell silent, his jaw tight. Wally suddenly felt both out of his depth and relieved. Finally, he understood why his friend had been so moody and standoffish since being released from the hospital. He thought Bruce was somehow disappointed in him or didn’t trust him. It was easy to forget that Dick was only fourteen and that Bruce was the only person whose trust he craved when he acted so confident all the time. His insecurity was jarring.

“Dick. Bruce trusts you. You’re Robin, he’s Batman, simple as that,” Wally said as gently as he could, trying to ease his walls down. “He probably hasn’t told you anything yet because he wants you to rest and heal. Y’know, like he’s told you a couple hundred times?”

He shook his head. “Walls, you don’t understand—”

“Yeah, I do. What, you think I’ve never botched a mission with Uncle B? It’s a terrible feeling. But Barry doesn’t hate me for it, and I didn’t lose his trust. It just means that we’re kids and not everything goes according to plan. The only reason Bruce and Barry freak out like this when something goes wrong is because they’re _worried_ about us.”

Dick bit his lips, his shoulders hunched forward. He looked small, especially with the oversized cast on his arm. “You think B is just worried about me?”

“ _Yes,”_ he stressed, sighing in relief that he seemed to have punched through to Robin’s logic. “Ask him later. I guarantee that’s all this is about. Now how about me watch that movie already?”

“...Fine. But I get to pick which one.”

* * *

A file dropped onto Dick’s desk, covering his make-up work from school. The teen pulled his headphones off and spun around in his chair to face Bruce.

“What’s this?”

“Mission report. I need you to fill in whatever you can. You may consult with my write-up to see if any of it matches your recollections,” he replied in full Batman mode although he was in slacks and a sweater, Bruce Wayne attire. Dick knew he had a small social engagement in an hour that he couldn’t back out of.

He picked up the file and rifled through it. When he came to picture of himself on a hospital bed, lips blue and sluggishly bleeding from a plethora of cuts on his torso he looked up at Bruce with wide eyes. He licked his lips before asking hoarsely, “Is this…?”

“Everything that happened that night,” Bruce confirmed. “Now that the last perpetrators have been sent to Blackgate, I think it’s time we close up the case.”

So he had been tracking down the people responsible for their injuries over the past few weeks. Dick felt oddly vindicated by that. He'd mostly moved past that night. His stitches had all been removed and he had new scars, but they’d healed cleanly. His cast had been exchanged for a soft brace which he rarely wore, except around his friends who freaked out if he didn’t. He was still a few days away from rejoining the team, but Bruce was letting him go back to school, thus why he was doing schoolwork. But knowing that the mission they’d been on that night was officially completed eased a burden Dick hadn’t even realized he was carrying.

“Thank you,” Dick said, looking up at his guardian.

Bruce leaned down and pressed an unexpected, gentle kiss to his hair. “Of course, chum.” Then he straightened. “I want that file back by tomorrow before patrol.”

He grinned. “Then I get to go on patrol with you.”

Bruce just sighed and Dick grinned victoriously.


End file.
